We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Becraft a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sydney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

My entire life I knew I would end up in some sort of profession that would utilize my creativity and design skills. I always desired a job that was unique and everyday is new, which I found in the world of illustration. I have found a lot of my happiness within my art and genuinely love being an artist. Sometimes I do actually think about what it would be like to have a “regular” job, and honestly cannot easily imagine working without using my artistic skills. A majority of my life I have been pursuing my art and partially it feels like my life purpose to document the world through my eyes with illustration. My work includes many different things I find interesting, including architecture, landscapes, and narrative storytelling. By having the freedom to create what I would like with my art, I can pursue my other interests through my world with the depiction of the subject matter. I truly wouldn’t trade my profession for anything in the world!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! My name is Sydney Becraft and I am an illustrator and concept designer from Scottsdale, Arizona. I have been studying art for almost 12 years which has led me to my higher education at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I am currently in my final year of college at the SCAD where I am pursuing my bachelors of fine arts in illustration for entertainment and a minor in printmaking.

A majority of my artistic work focuses on the juxtaposition of realistic scenarios with imaginative characters through the use of many different mediums. I enjoy using a variation of mediums in my work from acrylic paint, digital painting, to even animation. A prominent character seen in my work is of my ghost character, “Whisper.” I use this character as it lacks definitive features and identifiable aspects that filters them into a category of people, allowing for anyone to see themselves in the scenario. In addition, Whisper’s simple character design depicts them with no mouth and just holes for eyes to purposely amplify that we must speak through our actions, not just our words.

Apart from my narrative illustrations, I explore many different areas of focus including video game assets and concept design. A common stylistic feature in my works that can be seen across the board is the use of maximalism and heavy detail. I believe this aspect sets my art apart from others as I never let any area of the work unfinished and every area receives the same amount of attention.

My biggest accomplishment through my art that I am most proud of is my determination and grit over the years. A majority the biggest projects I have made relied on the fact that I was determined to see them through and deliver the best work I could. In addition to this, another great accomplishment is the sense of community my art seems to bring to the people around me and my followers. I have found that a lot of people resonate with my art and enjoy seeing the worlds and scenes I come up with. Aside from this, I would also like to emphasize that a majority of these concepts come from my own personal life experiences. I reflect upon the more negative times of my life to create a sense of relation with my viewer, and emphasize the positive experiences I have to evoke curiosity.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think one misconception about being an artist is that creativity and artistic ability is a gift or hobby, and not necessarily a working profession. Many artists like myself spend hours upon hours working on our craft and I think it’s important to amplify the determination needed to be an artist. I think it’s important to appreciate creatives as we as a society rely on them for many everyday pleasures and sometimes don’t even realize it. For example, when the covid pandemic began in 2020, the world relied heavily on artists to provide entertainment like animation and video games. This was the first time I realized the impact of artists themselves as a whole on a society and how artists truly make everyones lives around them beautiful.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are plenty of aspects that are rewarding from being a creative, but I believe the ultimate reward is being able to document how I see the world through my eyes and share it for other people to witness. For the most part, I’m not necessarily strong with my words, so I choose to convey my thoughts and expressions in my artwork. I like to share my personal experiences with struggle and mental health in my work, but convey them through imagery that wouldn’t provoke those ideas upon first glance. I think this is one of the most rewarding aspects about being an artist as I get to share what I am feeling with my audience, but by not verbally saying it, as well as open my work to interpretation with the viewers own story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sydneybecraft.wixsite.com/mysite
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneybecrafty/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-becraft-1170a5244/

Image Credits
Jenna Schaeffer Samuel Perry